And fake Malaysian ringgit

BANGKOK: -- Fake Malaysian ringgit banknotes worth Bt7.5 million, a shotgun and two cap guns were seized from a retired army official's house in Lop Buri's Chai Badan District, police said yesterday.

Together with a Malaysian embassy official and a Thai Commercial Bank's foreign currency expert, Pol Col Akradej Pimolsri, chief of the CSD's Sub-division 2, said police had acted on a tip-off about an influential figure storing guns in his house.

They raided the place and arrested housekeepers Prachern Leusaen, 37, and Prayoon Mekha, 36, initially for illegal possession of the guns. During the search, they found a locked underground room, broke it open and found inside the fake banknotes and some documents.

Police would summon the homeowner and those whose names were on the documents to testify.

This batch of colour-photocopied banknotes was the largest of its kind found in Thailand, he said.

-- The Nation 2009-07-16

ensuing scenarios:

A. he'll flee, and everyone close to him will say they know nothing of his whereabouts.

B. if caught, he'll say he knew nothing about the secret locked room at his house - 'it must have been the butler' ...or something to that effect.

C. if found guilty, he'll be scolded and essentially be let off easy. Thai justice system hates to seriously penalize any VIP - regardless of how guilty. The justice system (and the accused' powerful friends) will do everything they can to sweep this under the proverbial rug.